


Five Times the 126 Noticed Something + One Time They Said Something

by lesbianettes



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Codependency, Five times + one time, Gen, Intervention, Kinda, Neglect, Owen puts the team at risk bc he's busy worrying about TK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:08:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23693656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianettes/pseuds/lesbianettes
Summary: Five times they noticed the codependency and one time they spoke up
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	Five Times the 126 Noticed Something + One Time They Said Something

**Author's Note:**

> Blame the discord

**1\. Paul**

Paul has made a career out of his instincts. They’re always spot on and he picks up on the things that other people miss at first. He’s learned to trust himself. After all, it’s saved his life and that of his crews countless times. It would be crazy to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his head when he watches the way TK and Owen interact sometimes.

He can’t exactly put his finger on it at first. It’s not a life or death situation, or anything that would warrant mentioning it, but he can’t help the thought that something is off. They’re close, sure. Closer than a lot of parents and their children. Maybe it’s bordering on too close, however, because his heart does a strange flip inside his chest when he watches the way Owen pulls TK to the side and says something to him in a low voice with a hand on the back of his neck. It’s an affectionate gesture they’re all used to; Owen had done that to Carlos when TK was in a coma, to Judd when he had a meltdown, to Mateo after a rough call- it’s like a pat on the back. But what gets to him is the fact that TK looks seconds from bursting into tears, quietly nodding along to whatever’s being said. 

When Paul glances around to find out if anyone else is seeing this, he finds no one. They must all be busy. It’s just him, trying to appear casual as he watches Owen go through whatever speech he has while TK just agrees and eventually starts chewing on his hoodie string. Owen doesn’t stop him, but he doesn’t let go of him either. Paul doesn’t believe Owen would hurt him, now, in the past, or ever, but something isn’t entirely right here. 

Once their conversation is finished, the two hug, and Owen retreats to his office while TK wipes his eyes quickly. That’s when he decides to intervene. He walks up to TK and sets a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. The kid’s cheeks are flushed and eyes a little glassy.

“Everything okay?”unusual for him

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just-” TK takes in a shuddering deep breath. “I’m all good. I just don’t like disappointing Cap, you know?”

“Right.”

For today, Paul dismisses it as TK being sensitive to negativity, which isn’t too out of the ordinary, but he still can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to this than meets the eye.

**2\. Judd**

It takes a while for Judd to get used to the new 126. He takes the same route to work, but the firehouse is different, and the people inside even more so. Of course he loves them just as he did his old crew, but there’s still parts of them he’s putting together in his head. While he knows how they all take their coffee, he’s still working on things like what marks their frustration or pain.

Out of them, he thinks he’s gotten the closest to Owen so far. They have shared experiences, if nearly two decades apart. And Owen has this fatherly pride about him that makes Judd feel safer than he’s willing to admit. No matter what happens, he’ll be safe and in good hands. That’s a good thing. They’re all under the guidance and protection of a damn good captain, one Judd wouldn’t trade for anything, and yet, he notices after a while that Owen can be a bit strange at times with his son.

Not in a bad way, it’s just… a lot. Judd kind of brushes it off as them being really close, but sometimes it gets to him. They’re on a call, with another structurally unsound building, and when Owen insists on going in once again, he’s not talking normally on the radio. He’s not updating them on the situation, he just keeps asking about TK over and over. How he’s holding up, if he’s alright, what he’s doing. 

“Cap, he’s fine,” Judd eventually says. “Focus up. Where are you in there?”

That mostly gets Owen back on track, but when he comes out of the building with the survivors, the first thing he does it look for TK, who promptly launches himself into Owen’s arms and clings to him, telling him to be careful. Yeah, they’re close, but it’s… Judd can’t put his finger on it. Come to think of it, the two of them live and work together. The only time he’s seen them apart was when TK was shot, and even then, Owen rarely left the house. 

“They’re really close, aren’t they?” he mutters to Paul. 

Paul nods, but doesn’t say anything. What is there to say? They just watch, and both TK and Owen seem much more at ease and focused now that they’ve had that moment. Judd has never been that close with his own father, even when he was a little kid who idolized him. While he never doubted his father loved him, he’s sure that he wasn’t this invested in Judd’s every move either. 

Owen helps the survivors to the paramedics while TK watches him with a careful eye. He’s clearly searching for any injuries or any sign of a toll on Owen’s already weakened lungs. There’s nothing there, but TK still jumps when Judd clears his throat.

“He’s okay.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Judd hesitates for a moment before continuing. “Are you?”

TK doesn’t answer him.

**3\. Marjan**

It’s the middle of the night when Marjan wakes up. She isn’t sure what caused it at first, but a quick survey of the bunks shows that TK and Owen are both out of bed. Curiosity piqued, she gets up and heads into the main area, where the two of them are on the couch with TK asleep, head on Owen’s lap. Owen seems to be headed that way too. 

“Everything okay?” she whispers, coming closer. TK’s eyelids flutter, but he doesn’t wake up. It’s good to see him resting, she know he’s had a hard time falling and staying asleep ever since he was shot. Many a night she’s received texts from him at indecent hours. Everyone has. “What happened?”

Owen cracks an eye open to look at her. “He doesn’t sleep by himself anymore. Not when he’s had a nightmare. I’ll be honest, it helps me sleep better too.”

Instead of commenting on the fact that TK is 26, and Owen is his father, Marjan goes to the kitchen to make herself some tea. While she boils the water, there’s rustling and a distressed sound, followed by Owen’s voice, too soft for her to make out words, but loud enough to hear the soothing tone no doubt intended for TK. It must really be a rough night. She pulls two more mugs out of the pantry and digs out their favorite blends of tea to hopefully help with the struggle. While she’s never been shot, she has her fair share of trauma she’s struggled through, and is no stranger to nights like these. 

Upon her return with the tea, TK is curled up with his knees to his chest, resting his head on Owen’s shoulder and staring off into the distance. She presses tea into both of their hands and takes a seat across from them. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

TK shakes his head and Owen shrugs. He wraps one of his arms around his son as they share their tea, and the three of them spend the night out there together. Marjan falls asleep last, and notices how they sleep much easier on the couch together than they do in their bunks, as though TK is still a young child who needs comfort through the night. Maybe he is. It’s none of her business, though, since it’s not like it’s hurting anybody, and she simply files away the information to deal with later. Whatever makes them happy, she supposes.

**4\. Mateo**

TK has the day off. He’s out with Carlos, headed to some flower thing or whatever to look at all the spring blossoms and have a date like they rarely get. Mateo’s happy for the two of them. It’s the kind of thing they deserve. And yet, the entire day, Owen is completely off his game. He’s distracted and on his phone more often than he’s not, to the point that even Judd seems to have noticed, and Judd isn’t usually the first to pick up on those cues.

It’s not really a big deal until they’re on a call, and Owen won’t get off his cell phone long enough to pay attention to the fact that Marjan and Paul are trying to get his attention on the radio from the rescue inside the burning building. Seeing someone in charge of their safety so completely distracted is scary. What if something happens to them because the captain is distracted?

In a moment of (stupid) bravery, Mateo grabs Owen’s phone right out of his hand and shoves it into his own pocket, where it clicks against his much cheaper flip phone. Now he has his attention, and also his frustration. Just as he opens his mouth to chastise him, Mateo points at his lit up radio.

“Marjan and Paul have been trying to get to you for a while,” he says. “You should answer them.”

As Owen responds to them, he doesn’t take his eyes off Mateo’s pocket, as if the world is ending and the only way to save it is to once again have his phone in his possession. Mateo holds his ground, no matter how scary it is, until the call is over and everyone is safe again. Marjan and Paul ask what happened, now that they’re in the clear. Mateo doesn’t have it in him to tell them, and Owen just says that something was going on with TK.

Mateo returns his phone and Owen is on a call right away, stepping away from all of them and talking rapidly into it for what feels like forever. It’s weird. If Tk is actually in trouble, they’d all be on their way to help, and he would have at the very least sent a message to one of them as well. This silence isn’t like him. And it’s not normal for Owen to be this worked up, even after he hangs up and says that everything is alright with TK. If it’s fine, why was he so upset?

Something isn’t really adding up, but it’s not Mateo’s place to get involved, he doesn’t think. It probably won’t happen again, and no one got hurt. Still, what if it does happen again, and this time someone actually gets in trouble because Owen is too busy on his phone to take care of his team? Mateo doesn’t want to die, and he definitely doesn’t want any of his crew to die either. He looks to Marjan, because she always knows what to do, but she’s staring at the back of Owen’s head with an unreadable expression he isn’t necessarily eager to decipher. It can’t be good if she’s that upset. Paul and Judd seem just as put off. Mateo decides to bring it up later, in private, and find out what’s going on.

**5\. Michelle**

It’s not even a bad injury. Owen tripped over his own feet in the firehouse and managed to land on his wrist wrong. Michelle’s 99% sure it’s just a mild sprain, but she’s taking him to the hospital either way just to be safe, given the job. He’s going to be fine, and he’s calm and composed as ever. Most of the team is, too. 

Key word being most.

TK is borderline hysterical, asking Owen over and over again if he’s alright, how bad it hurts. He’s pulled Michelle aside three times to ask if she’s sure that it’s nothing major. He questions if Owen fell because of his cancer, if he could have injured himself more than what’s obvious, if she’s sure his vitals are okay. It’s not just worry over his dad, it’s a whole new level of complete panic that’s so unlike him given the work they all do for a living. She now has a second patient to deal with, as though Owen isn’t a handful in of himself when she recommends he get checked out at the ER. 

She leaves Owen in Tim and Nancy’s care while she gets TK to sit down and take deep breaths because he’s started hyperventilating. She can’t figure out why he’s so upset, but for now, the most important thing is calming him down before he hurts himself. The last time she watched him struggle this hard to breathe, he had been shot. This is something completely different. Something that sets off more than a few red flags.

“TK, honey, can you hear me?”

He nods jerkily.

“Okay. I need you take deep breaths for me, alright. In, hold it, out. C’mon, just like me.”

After a moment, it becomes clear he’s trying, but it just isn’t enough. None of the other members of the 126 are stepping in, so they don’t seem to know what to do either. Maybe Owen would if he wasn’t already loaded into the back of the ambulance with the other two paramedics.

“Your dad’s okay,” she tries. His whole body is shaking with the force of his panic. “He’s just fine, I promise. Trust me. He just hurt his arm a little, and we’re only sending him to the hospital as a precaution. He’s okay. You’re okay.”

And yet, the only way she manages to calm him is bringing him to the ambulance and letting him ride along. He grabs onto Owen’s uninjured hand and just sits beside him quietly, looking up at his father’s face every so often as though looking for signs that he’s hurt worse than he initially let on. Michelle can’t help wondering why he would react so strongly.

**+1**

Owen and TK are both off shift for the day because Owen has chemo when they all bring it up. It’s been a couple weeks since the falling incident, and as they all eat dinner, Judd blurts out, “Anyone else think something’s kinda weird with Cap and TK?”

Instantly, every fork on the table stills. They’ve all seen something at this point, sometimes more than once. Marjan takes a sip of her water and tells them that she saw them sleeping on the couch one night, and Owen told her they can’t sleep without each other anymore. Nothing else helps Tk’s nightmares, and Owen just feels better knowing his son is safe and sound. From there, they’re each sharing moments they’ve seen that just don’t feel right. The way TK cried at an expression of disapproval, Owen forgetting to look after his team because he was worried about TK not answering his phone. All the little things they’ve seen over the course of their time at the 126. The two live together. Owen broke into TK’s apartment back in New York because he wasn’t answering his phone. Every shift, they come in and leave together. They’re so worried about each other it surpasses the normal, healthy familial bond. 

“You don’t think…” Mateo starts, trailing off and looking at Michelle.

“God, no, absolutely not,” she says immediately. “Not even a little bit. No. But they are really really codependent.”

Paul nods. “Yeah, I mean, I get they’ve been through some shit, but this isn’t healthy.”

“And it’s a danger to the team,” Marjan adds, clearly remembering when Owen was too distracted by TK to respond to her and Paul’s distress call.

For a moment, they return to their dinner, no one sure how to go forward with addressing this. There isn’t a right way to tell your captain and crewmate that they’re codependent and should probably see someone about it. Michelle finally speaks again after a few bites of salad.

“I think we should talk to TK first. Owen’s stubborn, even if it comes from a place of love.”

“Or we could talk to them both at once,” Judd suggests. “That way no one feels alienated.”

“Five hundred dollar word from the cowboy.”

“Shut it, Marwani.”

Marjan flicks some mashed potatoes at him, which he narrowly avoids. Luckily Paul has the good sense to stop him from retaliating, otherwise everyone would be scrubbing food off every surface in the dining area for hours, which is very much not the point of any of this. Once things calm down, they decide to talk to Owen and TK on the next shift, even if it’s awkward, because they have to protect each other, and that includes their captain and TK.

When TK and Owen come in the next morning, the whole crew are standing around in the truck bay, like this is an intervention. It kind of is. Before they can ask what’s happening, Paul asks them to have a seat, and they all gather up in a lopsided circle.

“Is everything okay?” Owen asks.

Michelle is the designated speaker, for the most part. Everyone figured she’d seem the least confrontational. “We’ve just all noticed some things that we’d like to talk about,” she says. TK looks to Owen and lifts his hoodie string to his mouth in a nervous habit they’ve all watched him indulge. “Obviously you guys are close, and it’s good that you are.”

TK looks up at her. “But?”

“But we’re worried that maybe you two are a little bit… too dependent on each other. Not being able to sleep separately, is-- TK, you’re 26. You should be able to sleep on your own. Owen, you should be able to sleep without knowing exactly where your son is. I get that you’ve both been through things, but this isn’t normal.”

“I don’t see why any of you should have an opinion this, when-”

Paul interrupts him. “It put our lives at risk, Cap. You were busy texting TK when he was out with Carlos, and Marjan and I could have died because you weren’t paying attention. And it puts your lives at risk, too. Having a panic attack because your dad fell isn’t healthy.”

“I just hope that maybe,” Michelle says, cutting back into the conversation, “bringing what we see to your attention might mean you guys can talk about having better boundaries in place. Maybe see a professional about it so you can function without each other.”

TK and Owen share another one of those looks, and the 126 can only hope they’ve gotten through to them.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr @cupidmarwani (formerly @princessbekker)


End file.
